Celebrating a shared history

Saturday is the fifth of May, and there’s a lot going on. Louisville, Ky., is hosting the 144th Kentucky Derby, the famous one-and-a-quarter-mile-long race for three year-old Thoroughbred horses. In honor of Free Comic Book Day, celebrated annually on the first Saturday in May, participating specialty comic book stores across the country will hand out complimentary comic books. To commemorate Herb Day, select local nurseries and herb gardens are offering demonstrations and tutorials.
May 5 also marks the Mexican army’s victory over Napoleon III’s French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. On Kansas City’s Westside, the Guadalupe Center is hosting its two-day Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, a tradition since 1922. Singer/songwriter and actor Bobby Pulido will headline the fête featuring mariachis, folkloric dancers, food, games and contests, a petting zoo, kids’ rides and more.
Metro area restaurants get in the spirit by offering Mexican-inspired gastronomy and drink specials. Local libraries this week organized special events observing Cinco de Mayo.
It’s a uniquely Mexican-American holiday. Schools are closed for the day in Mexico, but it isn’t observed as a national holiday. The state of Puebla celebrates with military parades, historical reenactments and other festive events. In contrast, Cinco de Mayo is meaningful here in the U.S. It has become a major universal celebration of Mexican culture, cuisine and heritage, an occasion to acknowledge and honor the contributions of Mexican-Americans to U.S. society.
A cross section of Mexican-American notables would include the physicist, Albert Vinicio Báez who developed the x-ray microscope. Paulo Lozano, an aerospace engineer who’s recognized as a pioneer in the field of micro-propulsion. Mario J. Molina won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the depletion of the ozone layer. Anna Maria Chávez, former chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. amplified participation of Girl Scouts in STEM-related fields. Nínive Clements Calegari, a teacher and author founded a national literacy program and The Teacher Salary Project. Last but not least are the more than 40 Mexican-Americans awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military decoration, for their valor in armed conflicts since World War I.
Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate, to reflect on the fact that our two nations – the United States and Mexico — share not only a continent, but an intimate history.